(Reuters) – Japan and Russia held their first joint defense and foreign ministers’ meeting on Saturday and agreed to boost security cooperation in the Asia-Pacific as they both warily watch neighboring China’s rising influence. Japan and Russia have never signed a treaty to mark the end of World War Two because of a territorial dispute but they are moving to deepen ties despite that, and despite Russian concern about Japan’s role in a U.S. missile defense program. The foreign ministers of both countries said the meeting helped build trust. “To boost cooperation in the field of security, and not just in the field of…

Spy agencies across Western Europe are working together on mass surveillance programs aimed at monitoring Internet and telephone communications, despite criticizing similar programs run by the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA), Britain’s Guardian newspaper reported Saturday. Citing documents leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, the Guardian named Germany, France, Spain, Sweden and the Netherlands as countries where intelligence agencies had been developing such methods in cooperation with counterparts including Britain’s surveillance agency GCHQ. The Guardian reported the countries have launched programs to tap into fiber optic cables and work covertly with private telecommunications companies. The report is potentially embarrassing for Germany…